Knight in a shinning armour
by Hawaianangelgirl
Summary: Hello, everyone! This is my first try on Knight rider fanfic. I hope you like it. Michel's heading for vacation but Devon calls him for a very special assignment regarding Bonnie. Please, R&R!
1. Prologue

_**Knight in a shinning armour**_

Hello, everyone!

I'm new around here (which means this is the first Knightrider fanfic I've ever tried, although I'm a regular in other forums...), but I really hope you like my story. I used to watch this show when I was a little child and I was so happy when it started to be aired in my country again not long ago. Talking to my sister Deyse, we agreed that this story was so much in our childhood that we kinda were part of a whole generation who grew wanting to have a car like Kitt, so here comes my try on Knightrider fanfiction.

I don't really remember if there is a real chapter sharing this title, but it just fits perfectly to what I have in mind, so I hope no one minds I'm sharing it... And if you're wondering, yes, I'm totally a shipper writer and therefore I'm a Michel-Bonnie supporter! They were so great together!! And as I know my sister loves them too, this story is for her!

Enough now for an introduction... Please, read and review!

_**Prologue**_

"I'm sorry Michel, but I just can't understand what pleasure people find in lying under the sun. Do you realize to what extent the sun can damage your skin?" the computerized voice of K.I.T.T. made Michel grin. "Sun can cause great damages to vehicles as well, like to the painting..."

"I know, pal, I know... But after working non-stop for the past three months, believe me there's nothing I want more than to lay under a palm tree shadow and leave the sun tan my skin... I promise I will use a sunblock lotion..." the young man replied, finding a secret and almost evil pleasure in teasing his friend, who always seemed to fail in understanding human pleasures.

"Then what's the use to use a sunblock lotion if what you want to feel is the sun...?" the car replied.

"I... I don't know for sure, pal..." Michel said finding himself caught in Kitt's cavilations. "I guess so you don't feel like you're burning alive..."

"Well... Devon's calling..." Kitt warned and Michel sighed. His boss had a sixth sense when it came to interrupt his vacation.

"Devon, please!"·Michel claimed before the man could even say a word. "We have agreed I could take a week off-work! I have my reservation done, sea-view room!"

"I know, Michel, and believe me, I wouldn't take you off your vacation if this wasn't extremely urgent and extraordinary..."

"Devon, it's always urgent and extraordinary!" Michel complained. "I won't give up this time!"

"Michel, this is not a common case..."

"They never are common..." he felt he would be losing anyway.

"Believe me, this time it isn't. It's Bonnie..."

That was the magic word that would make all the difference. He was determined not to lose his long awaited vacation for anybody... but she was different, certainly more important than any vacation. "What's wrong with her?"·Michel asked feeling a sensation of panic growing in his chest. She wasn't in the office with Devon and that had him immediately thinking where she could be. A million ideas crossed his mind, from an accident to a kidnap.

"She has just gotten a phone call. Her father is dead..."

Michel took a deep breath and before he knew he was hitting the brake pedal and turning back on the road. "What happened?" he dared to ask.

"He was shot. It looks like he and Bonnie's mother witnessed a murder, and the killer saw them. He shot him right in the heart. He died immediately."

Michel couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt the pain for his friend growing fast and suddenly the road seemed too long for him to reach the FLAG house again. After a long moment of silence, he asked in a low voice. "How is she, Devon?"

"You better come back fast, Michel. She needs you, she needs us with her..." the older man replied with a concerned expression that told Michel everything he needed to know.

"On my way, Devon..." he murmured and ended the calling.


	2. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone!

First of all, thank you all for your kind replies! It means the world to me that you take the time to read my pages and give me a piece of encouragement.

Deyse, sister, thanks a lot. You know I'll give you plenty of chances to sigh, hehe!!

Audra and Joanna, I'm glad to know you also like Bonnie and Michel together! So this story is also dedicated to you, girls! Enjoy in fanfic what we hardly got in the show! That goes for you too, MrlovesDC! I'm sorry to be posting little by little 'cause I don't have the story complete yet, but I promise you three will have what you want!

And Trolly Prolly... I followed your advise by trying to cut my veins with cookies previously wet in milk, and too bad... it didn't work. So I've decided I'm quite happy living and that you will have to bear my horrible stories for a long while.

Why don't you do yourself a favor, huh? Stop showing the world one only true thing: your jealousy. I've checked your profile and if anyone wants to read the largest collection of insults, they should try this:  Quite recomendable, btw!! Why is it that there isn't a single story in your profile page but only critics? You are the best writer, aren't you?

Now, as we're all clear, let's go back to our bussiness! Please, R&R.

CHAPTER 1

Michel drove Kitt up to the very front door of the house and all but jumped out of the car to rush inside. He ran into Devon's office without knocking, but Bonnie wasn't there. "Where is she?" he asked to his boss, who was sitting behind his desk, his forehead resting on his hands as in deep thought.

"In her bedroom... She asked me to leave her alone until it was time to leave..."

"I'm going with you too. I won't leave her alone..." he said determined.

"I didn't expect less from you... We're going in the limousine... or would you rather have Kitt?"

"I guess Kitt will want to be close too, Devon... and perhaps he could be useful 'cause I have the feeling you're not telling me the whole story..."

Devon smiled sadly. "You know me well, my boy... This I haven't told Bonnie... The police reports that the first murder was a drug dealer case, and if this man thought of killing Bonnie's father just for the occasional glimpse he could have had of him, he won't doubt about finishing the other witness..."

"Bonnie's mom..."

"That's right..."

"Then Kitt's going too, Devon. Now, can I go see her?"

"Come in..." Bonnie replied weakly to the soft knock on her door. There was a pair of black pants and a blouse in the same color lying on the bed. She just felt she didn't have the courage to wear them already. Somehow she felt it was all a nightmare she would wake up of in any minute...

Michel opened the door carefully and walked up to where she was leaning over the door frame that led into the balcony. The view of the gardens of the house and the surroundings was beautiful from there. He stayed behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders rubbing them lovingly. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"He was a wonderful man..." she whispered. "He was my biggest supporter, he was so proud of what I have done..." She started to cry and he gently made her turn and pulled her into a hug. "I'm going to miss him so much! I was planning to invite them to come and meet you and Devon and Kitt, and see what I do here at the Foundation! And now he won't come, I won't see him anymore!"

"I know, baby, I know..." Michel felt a knot forming in his throat just as Bonnie's tears wet the fabric of his shirt. This was a totally different Bonnie from the one he was used to, the self-secured, bright professional she normally was, the one scolding him for every tiny scratch Kitt could possibly get, more to tease him than to really blame him guilty. He had barely seen her this weak, clutching at his shirt like to dear life, and in those rare times, more than ever, he felt the strong need of protecting her. Only that this time he couldn't.

He let her cry for a long, long moment until Devon knocked at her door. "The limousine is ready, Bonnie. It's all up to you to tell us when we leave..."

Bonnie untangled herself from Michel's hold. "I will be ready in a few minutes... Thank you, Devon..."

"Let me go get ready too then," Michel said.

"Michel, you don't have to go... You're supposed to be on vacation..." she argued feeling rather guilty.

Michel looked at her with the most serious expression she could remember. "You're kidding me, right? There's no way I'm not going with you."

Bonnie felt fresh tears stinging in her eyes and swallowed hard before she dared to speak again. "Thank you..." she murmured reaching for his hand and holding it tight.

"I'll see you downstairs..." he said and left after Devon.

In both cars the trip to Bonnie's childhood home was a rather quiet one. In the limo, Devon didn't dare to interrupt Bonnie's silence knowing she had to be dealing with the idea of not finding her father there anymore. In the black Tans-am, neither Kitt nor Michel seemed to find out what to say, so they mostly drove in silence.

As soon as they pulled over, Michel jumped out of Kitt to help Bonnie out. He noticed how cold her hands were and how she was trembling slightly, so he circled her shoulders to guide her to the house. It was obvious she wasn't ready for this, she just couldn't reach and ring the door bell. It was Michel who finally called.

A woman in her middle thirties opened the door. Bonnie recognized her as her "friend-of the next door" when she was a little girl. "Oh, Bonnie, it's so good you're here now!" the woman reached to hug her friend. "I'm so glad to see you... despite the circumstances!"

"Thank you, Debbie..." Bonnie replied smiling sadly. "Let me introduce you Michel and Devon..."

Both men reached to shake the woman's hand, who didn't miss the way the so called Michel kept his hand on Bonnie's shoulder, and then followed the two women into the house. Bonnie stood for a second before they reached the dinning room, sighed and gulped. A woman who seemed to be in her late fifties was sitting by another one who was crying softly. Michel guessed she was Bonnie's mom.

"Mom?" Bonnie whispered and the woman turned to look at her. She stood up and Bonnie went to hug her.

"You're here..." the woman murmured and sobbed again. "Thank God..."

"I had to come... How are you?" Bonnie asked pulling away softly.

"I still can't believe it..." the older woman replied. "We were just leaving the restaurant, he had insisted we went out more often, he said we didn't need to celebrate something special, we just needed to be in the mood to go out like when we were younger... We left the place and saw two men arguing, I cried when I heard the shot gun, he then turned to look at us and shot your father... It was all so fast... I think I still saw the gun up after your father fell, but then people from the restaurant went out and the guy ran away..."

Michel and Devon exchanged a glance. It looked like Devon was right.

"Let it go now..." Bonnie told her mother, guiding her to the chair again. "You're fine and that's what matters the most..."

"If I hadn't cried, he wouldn't have shot him!" she exclaimed and covered her face with his hands. "It was my fault!"

Bonnie shot Michel a helpless look and he walked to knelt by the woman's side. "No, it wasn't... In cases like this, crying is a natural reaction you can't be blamed for. We have word this man was a drug dealer, he was probably under the influence of some substance that didn't allow him to think of what he was doing. It was all his responsibility, not yours..."

Something in the tone of this man's voice made Bonnie's mom trust him immediately. She look at his blue eyes for a long moment before she managed a slight smile and a nod. "I'm sorry, but you are...?"

"Oh, mom... This is Michel Knight, my friend from work I've told you about..." Bonnie intervened, "and this is Devon..."

"You're both so kind in coming with Bonnie..." the woman said.

"We wouldn't leave her alone, Mrs Barstow..." Devon stated. "She's important to us, we're family!"

"Please, call me Iris..." she said drying her eyes, "and I really appreciate your coming Mr Miles. Bonnie was always talking about you and Michel to her father..."

"Now, you please call me Devon..." Devon said and he took a seat by Iris' side. "I would like to help you with the unsolved things that are still to be done... We've told Bonnie we would be with her all the way, and we will..."

Devon has been right about many unsolved things they had to work in before the funeral. With Bonnie busied in keeping her mother all right, he and Michel arranged the police release of the corpse and set the ceremony for the following day. Michel too took the chance to pass by the police department and have all the information he could find about the murderer and the other guy who had been shot too. He didn't like something he found: the dealers seemed to belong to the biggest drug organization of the city, well known for not leaving a single witness alive if they risked to be discovered.

"What are you thinking, Michel?" Devon asked after he read the file too.

"I dunno, Devon, but for Bonnie's sake I really wish her mother hadn't cried or better that they hadn't gone have dinner at that place at all..."

"Me too, but that cannot be arranged other way... I have all set for the funeral... I guess we will attend to it and then we will have to leave Bonnie... She can take as many days as she needs..."

Michel turned to look at his boss rather taken aback. "Leave her here? Alone?"

"I guess she will want to spend some time with her mother, Michel, and we have assignments to attend too..." the older man explained.

"But, Devon..." Michel tried to find an argument. "If what we fear it's true, we cannot leave them alone!"

"I know Michel, I'm just praying that I was wrong and the guy won't try to look for Bonnie's mom... I thought of what you said, about him being drugged and I think you may be right... He then shouldn't recognize Iris so easily..."

Michel sighed and said nothing more. He knew his boss was right, yet it was something that still had him worrying about Bonnie. He couldn't point it clearly, so he decided to follow Devon's orders so far. Only that he wouldn't leave Bonnie alone if something happened these days...

"You're awfully quiet..." Kitt interrupted Michel's silence while they were driving behind Devon's limousine.

"I'm thinking about all this situation, pal... I hadn't thought Bonnie might need some time alone with her mother and I just don't want her here alone..."

"Me neither... I can't really understand what she might be feeling, but I guess she is feeling rather lonely. I wish she had come talk to me at least for a while..."

"I'll tell her to drop you a visit, Kitt, I promise..." Michel smiled. He used to tease Bonnie telling her she was Kitt's mother, and as weird as it could sound for Kitt's responses were nothing but programs, he was pretty sure the car loved Bonnie dearly.

"Thank you..."

They didn't talk more until they arrived to Bonnie's house, but just as they turned around the corner, Michel saw a blue sedan parked in front, and a man inside it, with binoculars, obviously studying the house.

"Kitt... is this man doing what I think he's doing?" Michel asked just as he slowed down and pulled over the sidewalk.

"He's obviously looking at the house..." the car replied.

"Take the license plate number and check it for me, will ya?" Michel said opening the door. He crossed the street slowly and walked to the car, but as soon as the man saw him, he turned on the car and left quickly. "Kitt!" Michel shouted and the car started immediately, moving to meet his driver.

The sound of the wheels alerted Devon, who jumped out of the limousine just as Bonnie opened the door of the house. "Michel?" she asked just as she saw his friend jump into the car. "Bonnie, please, get in the house!" Devon walked fast to her and grabbed her arm.

"Did you get the name?" Michel asked Kitt while he drove as fast as he could.

"Peter Bellows. He's got a long history in drug charges, come in and out of jail several times", the car replied.

"Then he will have a few things to explain!" but just as Michel said this, he turned around a corner to find a policewoman showing him a stop sign. Michel hit the brakes hard, and stopped just in time as a bunch of kids ran out of the school in front. "Darn!" Michel shouted hitting the wheel.

"He just left my scanner radio, Michel, I'm sorry".

"That's ok, pal. Let's go back to the house..."


	3. Chapter 2

First of all, thank you for your kind replies! I'm glad to know you're enjoying this as much as I do!

Second: this goes today for my sister Deyse, as we're celebrating her B/D tonight!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sister!!

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 2

"Devon, will you please tell me what's going on?!" Bonnie asked her boss as the English man kept on watching through the window.

"I told you I rather wait for Michel to come and tell us if we were right or wrong..."

"Right or wrong about what? Devon, please!" she really liked him, but in times like this, when he stubbornly refused to talk to her clearly...

"What's going on?" Bonnie's mom asked just as she climbed down the stairs. He daughter had convinced her to lay down a little and try to get some sleep.

"Nothing, mom, everything is all right..." Bonnie tried to calm her mother.

"Then why are you so nervous? Don't try to fool me, I'm not stupid!" Iris replied visibly mad.

"I know you are not..." Bonnie argued but then Devon interrupted.

"They're back!", he said and ran to open the door. "Michel, what happened?"

"I lost him..." he replied.

"What are you talking about? Michel, please, tell me!" she urged.

He turned to see Bonnie, the expectation in her green eyes making him feel rather guilty. He exchanged a quick glance with Devon and circled his mate's shoulders to guide her back to the living room. He made her take a seat. "Bonnie... When I arrived, there was a man in a car... spying on you..."

"What?!"

"I had Kitt checking on him. He has a long history with the police..." Michel reached to take her hands. "We followed him but we lost him..."

"But why?" Iris intervened then. "What have we done?"

"Iris," Devon said now, "this is something very serious... We fear this guy may try to do something to harm you..."

"Nonsense!" the older woman said. "I haven't done anything to hurt anyone!"

"Iris!"

"Mom!"

"Mrs Barstow!"

Devon, Bonnie and Michel tried to argue at the same time.

"I haven't hurt anyone and I won't be hiding in my own house like a burglar!"

"Mom, listen to me..."

"These past few days have been difficult enough for you to come and tell me there's someone out there I must fear! I'm not having that so easily!"

"Iris," Devon tried his most diplomatic tone of voice, "we have checked on the police reports. The man who shot your husband is a dangerous dealer, a high level member of the most powerful gang in the city. He had no reason to shot Ernest, but he did it anyway. His spying today only tell us one thing..."

Michel felt how Bonnie shivered at Devon's statement. Even if she rarely got involved in the cases directly, she had enough experience to understand the whole situation. "He's coming for her?!" she asked already fearing the answer. She turned to look at Michel.

He looked at her directly in the eye for a second, before he dared to speak. "Yes, Bonnie. We think he might try to finish the only witness that saw him that night."

"Oh, God..." she murmured, just as Iris reacted in a very different way.

"No, you're all wrong!" She saw Devon and Michel about to argue with her, so she stopped them. "Please, gentlemen. We're mourning the death of my husband, so I will beg you two to respect our grieving by not inventing detective stories!"

"Mom!" Bonnie didn't know what surprised her more, her mother's denial of danger or her attitude with Devon and Michel.

"And you too, Bonnie Barstow! Please, respect your father's memory and don't turn his funeral into a suspense film!"

For a long minute, Bonnie just stared at her mother, tears blurring her vision. "That's so unfair... You know I loved him so much..." she said in a low, trembling voice.

"Yes, I know! You two were always so close! I never knew anything about you two!" the older woman told her daughter and then left the room. They still heard her climbing up the stairs and closing her bedroom's door.

Only then did Michel looked at Bonnie again. She was trembling and crying softly. It broke his heart and pulled her into a hug. "Shh... don't cry..."

"That's so unfair..." she repeated leaning against Michel's chest. "She thinks she's the only one suffering..."

"I know, Bon, I know..." Michel lifted his gaze to Devon, who seemed very disturbed as well. "Come on, you need some fresh air..." he said releasing his hold on her. "And there's someone who wants to talk to you, and I promised I would tell you to visit him..."

Bonnie smiled sadly at the mention of the car. She dried her eyes and stood up. "Alright..." She turned to look at Devon.

"I'll be here, don't worry..." he said before she could even ask it. "I'll take care of her and I'll call if I need you."

Bonnie surprised him by hugging him briefly. "Thank you, Devon."

"You're welcome, my child," the English man said.

When Bonnie saw the spotless black car, she couldn't avoid the smile and the sight of pride she released. No matter what happened, she knew well he was her work life, a real master piece. Yes, Kitt was like her baby. "Hey, Kitt", she greeted trying to sound cheerful.

"Hello, Bonnie, it's so nice to see you!"

"Thanks..." Michel opened the door for her and then circled the car.

"I'm sorry about your father, Bonnie..." the car offered and she was silent for a second. "Although I can't say I understand how you feel, I see you're very sad..."

Michel got in just in time to hear those last words and saw his friend lowering her head to try to hide the tears that were again crossing her cheeks. "I am, Kitt... I will miss him so much..." she murmured.

"But we're here to help you deal with this, Bonnie..." Michel said softly, taking her hand and squeezing it lovingly. "Please, remember you are not alone. Kitt's here, Devon's here and I am here for you, whenever you need us..."

"I know..." she couldn't say more or she would just start crying non-stop.

"What do you say if we take Bonnie for a nice stroll, huh?" Michel asked Kitt trying to sound casual and cheerful. "Give me some options, will you, pal?"

Kitt scanned the area and displayed the map in one of his monitors. "There's Roosevelt's memorial park, the Wilton's lake, or..."

"Wilton's lake! My dad and I used to go there so often! He taught me how to fly a kite there!" Bonnie said excitedly.

"Wilton's lake is it then!" Michel said smiling softly. He turned on the car and pulled away.

"My father always wanted to have a son..." Bonnie explained Michel as they walked slowly along the shore. "When he didn't come, he took me like his permanent mate for all those things a father and a son would do. We never needed a technician to fix the TV or the toaster. My father was a Physicist and he loved electronics, he would always fixed whatever was broken. I simply followed him..."

"... that's why you decided to study electronics?" Michel guessed.

"Yes. My father was proud of my choice, but my mother wasn't. She always tried to make me do more girl things, like sewing or knitting, and when I decided what to study, she was twice disappointed. I bet she wanted me to become a teacher or a doctor, anything but a chief mechanic!" Michel laughed quietly. Yes, Bonnie's role was quite unusual for a woman.

"But you once told me you father wanted you to be a surgeon... and that you refused 'cause you can't stand blood..." he reminded her.

"Yes, he tried to persuade me... But it guess it was more on my mother's request... I clearly remember the day I left the house to go to college: he told me he was very proud of me and very happy, and that he knew I would do great in my profession..."

"He was certainly right!" Michel replied. "We won a lot with you!"

"Still, I guess deep down my mother was jealous 'cause I shared a lot more with my dad than with her... It's just that sometimes I didn't feel she loved me..."

"That I can't believe it! I can see your mom loves you, Bonnie... perhaps she doesn't know how to show it or she doesn't show it the way you'd like her to, but..."

"I know... But didn't you see how she told me not to turn my dad's funeral into a suspense movie?" she turned to see her friend and he saw the tears shining in her eyes. "How can she think I would do such a thing?!"

"Bonnie..." Michel pulled her closer and hugged her. "She's grieving too, she's hurting and she feels guilty for having cried... It's normal she would look someone to snap at... only that this time it was you..."

"It's always been me, Michel..." she replied not moving an inch. She was crying softly as Michel could feel her tears wetting his shirt. "I was always the one to blame..."

"Bonnie..." he murmured softly. He felt so out of place he didn't know what to do to comfort her. "Cry, Bonnie, cry all you need to cry... I'm here with you, sweetheart, I'll always be with you..." Slowly, he moved her to a tree trunk that was nearby and help her sit there. He felt her arms circling his waist and he kissed her head slowly, never releasing his hold on her.

"I wish I knew what to tell you, Bonnie..." Michel murmured long minutes later. "I wish I knew how to erase the pain of your heart, but I know that's not possible..."

"Just let me stay here, please..." she whispered softly, her tears still making her voice hoarse.

"That you don't have to ask for it, baby..." he murmured against her hair and even tightened his hold a bit more.

Only the soft beep of Michel's com link broke the silence that had surrounded the two friends the rest of the afternoon and until it was night already. "Michel?" Kitt asked.

"Yeah, Kitt?" 

"It's almost 9 pm already... Don't you think we should go back home?"

"Yes, you're right... It's getting chilly..." he replied and moved slowly to call Bonnie's attention. Only then he realized she was sound asleep. "Bonnie? Baby?" he tried to call her attention but she got nothing in reply but mumbling sounds. It moved his heart. Her eye lashes were still wet for so much crying, but now her expression was rather calm, even peaceful. Just a few times had he seen her sleeping, some of them when they had driven long trips in Kitt to go back to the FLAG house, and to him, she had always looked beautiful, with some air of childlike innocence that made him want to protect her. Sleeping, she was a rather different Bonnie from the one she was when awake.

Careful not to wake her up, he moved to carry her in his arms. "Kitt, open the door", he ordered the car and placed Bonnie in the passenger's seat.

"All right, let's go home..." he said and started the engine.

Devon and Debbie stopped chatting and looked up at the sound of foot steps climbing down the stairs. The rest of the afternoon had passed uneventfully after Bonnie's disagreement with her mother, and only Debbie, Bonnie's old friend, had come back with dinner ready and to see if they needed something special.

"Hello, Iris", Debbie asked when she saw the old woman coming back to the living room.

"Hi, Debbie... Devon..." she went into the living room. "Devon, I'm sorry for my past behavior... I was way out of line..."

"That's ok, I understand, Iris..." the English man replied patting her hand friendly.

"Where is Bonnie?" she asked when she realized her daughter wasn't around.

"She and Michel went out for a little while..." Devon said and checked his watch, "only that it seems not such a short while..."

"Did they go after I went upstairs?" Iris asked and saw Devon nod. "Oh, my... Would they be ok? What if they had an accident or...?"

"Oh, no, Iris, I'm sure they are perfectly fine!" Devon assured the older woman. "They went on Kitt, and as long as they are with him, I promise you they are ok!"

"What's Kitt?" Debbie asked not sure if she understood what they were talking about.

"Michel's car... although he's a lot more than a car..." Devon explained. "Kitt's the Knight Industries Two-Thousand, a very sophisticated computer. He's Bonnie's main achievement... She's the cheif mechanic of the team that keeps Kitt in tune".

"That black car Michel's driving?" Debbie looked positively imprssed.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be surprised at all the things he can do..."

"Bonnie used to talk so much about that car to her father..." Iris said. "She wanted us to go see what she does at the Foundation..."

"She's absolutely the best, Iris..." Devon said. "If she wasn't there, I don't know what we would do... Under Michel's line of work, he gives Bonnie plenty of chances to prove how good a mechanic she is!"

"I bet she is..." Iris said but the pain in her voice was obvious. Silence followed for a long minute...

"Oh, they are back..." Devon commented a bit too cheerfully some minutes later, when he heard Kitt's noise coming closer to the house. He opened the door and was surprised to see Michel carrying Bonnie in arms.

"She felt asleep on the way back, I didn't want to wake her up..." he said in a low voice. "Let me take her to her bed..."

"This way, Michel, please", Debbie said and guided him upstairs. She hurried to undo the bed and closed the curtains, while Michel carefully placed Bonnie over the matress and then went to remove her shoes, before he covered her carefully. Once she was all set, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sleep tight, Bon-bon, have only good dreams..." he murmured and leaned to give her a light kiss on her forehead.

Debbie observed the scene with surprised eyes. "What?" Michel asked when he discovered the woman looking at him.

"Nothing..." she replied and left the room followed by him. But when they were climbing down, she thought it twice and asked him. "Are you in love with her?"

The straightforwardness of the question made Michel trip and almost fell from the stairs. "I... I'm..." but he didn't say more as he saw Iris standing near him.

"Is she ok?" Iris asked truly worried. "I'm afraid I was too hard on her before... I guess I was very out of place..."

Michel smiled lightly and reached for the woman's hand to give it a friendly squeeze. "Bonnie's just fine... She's sad and grieving, she cried a lot while we were out... She fell asleep after so much crying that I didn't have to courage to wake her up when we arrived... She felt very hurt with your fighting, but deep down she knows you love her..."

"And I do!She's my only child, how can I not love her?"

"Both of you are grieving so badly, Iris..." Debbie told the woman, "and I guess sometimes both of you feel you're grieving more than the other, but that's not true... You must be together in these hard times, not fighting to each other..."

"I know, and you're right..." Iris replied. "If you all excuse me, I want to go to bed too... Michel, Devon, the spare rooms are ready for you two. I really appreciate your coming and staying with Bonnie..."

"We wouldn't be anywhere else..." Devon told her gentlemanly. "She's our family, we are where we're supposed to be..."

Michel tossed and turned in bed a long time before he gave up sleeping. He stood up and went to the window, leaning against the cold glass. His heart was way too troubled to sleep calmly. A part of his unease was coming from Bonnie's situation, her crying image so fresh in his mind... He could understand her so well... he had lost everybody close to him when he had become Michel Knight, everybody from his fiancée to his family and friends. He had felt so lost and so mad at the same time, wanting nothing but revenge over the people who had tried to kill him, and then, little by little, Kitt, Devon and Bonnie had become his family and his reason to live. He didn't look forward to anything more than to go back to the FLAG or the semi after a mission. He knew how Bonnie must've been feeling, he had felt just the same a few years ago... and he also knew there was nothing he could do for her except to be by her side and dry her tears. He would've wanted to have someone close when he lost his former life...

But what also made his unease worse was the constant feeling of threaten lingering in the air. That car in the morning, the man spying on the house... he had to do something before Devon ordered him to go back to the FLAG and leave Bonnie and Iris alone.

The night was a little cold but very calm, there wasn't anyone around, only Kitt and the limousine parked outside the house... and that made him suspicious. The man had to be somewhere around, but so well hidden he couldn't see him. He raised his left arm and called Kitt through the com link. "Kitt?"

"Yes, Michel?"

"Is there anyone around outside the house?"

"I can't find anyone, Michel... Other than an ocasional car and a couple of police cars, no one has passed over the street..." the car replied.

"Okay... Keep your scanners ready, will you?"

"No need to ask, Michel... Good night..."

"Night, buddy..." the man answered back and sighed in defeat. He stayed by the window a bit more, looking in the darkness, but it was a very calm night. At long last, he went back to bed...


	4. Chapter 3

Well, miracles do happen in Christmas time!!!! I haven't finished this, but I'm planning to!

Hope you like it, thanks a lot for the kind reviews!

Happy new year!

CHAPTER 3

When Bonnie climbed down the stairs the following morning, she was quite embarrassed to face Michel. "Good morning", she greeted shyly when she realized her mother, Devon and even Michel were already up.

"Good morning," Devon and Iris replied, while Michel shot her a warm smile. She picked up some eggs for breakfast and took a seat in front of him.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Michel..." Bonnie said and he stopped right when he was about to eat a bite of his own breakfast.

"About what?" he asked.

"Me... falling asleep on our visit to the lake..." she said truly ashamed. She didn't want to meet his eyes, she knew he would be smiling, and she wasn't sure if he was having fun with or on her.

Michel chuckled lightly. "That's just fine... I have a horrible back ache for carrying you upstairs, but I guess I'll live..."

Only then did Bonnie looked at him and shot him one of her deadly glares. "You are impossible!" but he was smiling charmly.

"I... I'm the one who should be apologizing, Bonnie..." Iris said then. She was toying with the food on her plate, obviously embarrassed.

"No, mom..."

"Yes, I should... I was so unfair yesterday... I know you're grieving too... I forgot I'm not the only one who loved him..." the older woman said just as her eyes turned bright with tears.

"Mom, I know you're hurting, and I am too... But we will be alright, you'll see!" Bonnie stood up and went to hug her mother, but crying big hot tears that only spoke of what they were feeling.

"I just can't picture a life without your father!" Iris confessed sadly. "We've been together for so long! What am I going to do alone?"

"You're not alone, mom. You have me..." Bonnie tried to ease her mother's pain but she knew she couldn't do a lot. She had left home many years ago and hadn't been back too often. She lived far away and had her own life, but it had been in her mind since she had first known about her father: what would her mother do alone? "Don't worry, mom... We will figure out..." she said still holding her.

Michel looked away from the two women and to Devon. Selfishly he wanted Bonnie back with them at the FLAG and never considered another option. Was Bonnie thinking about moving back?

"At least there's something I'm happy about..." Iris said untangling herself from her daughter's embrace. "I don't have to worry about it anymore..."

"What, mom?" Bonnie asked drying her eyes and going back to her seat.

"You."

"Me?" Bonnie asked clueless eating a new bite of her food.

"Yeah, I don't have to worry about you anymore now that you're dating a good man..."

Bonnie opened her mouth and was about to tell her mother she was very wrong, but Michel spoke first. "Thank you, Mrs. Barstow..." he smiled at Iris, reached to pat her arm and then met Bonnie's surprised eyes. "I promise you I'm taking good care of her..."

"I know. I saw how you carried her yesterday. I don't need any more proof..." the older woman still kept on not looking at her daughter, who didn't know what surprised her more, her mother thinking she was dating Michel, or the fact that he was following the game.

Michel raised his eyes to look at his workmate, who blushed furiously and said nothing. Then he turned to look at Devon, who seemed equally surprised. "It also worried your father, you know?" Iris kept on saying totally unaware of the exchange of glances between the three workmates. "He wondered if you'd ever find someone to share your life with... He worried about you being all alone..."

"She's not alone, Iris," Devon replied, "we would never leave her alone..."

"You know what I mean, Devon," Iris insisted, "everyone must have someone to share your life with..."

"Mom!" Bonnie said wanting this conversation to be over soon. Or who knew where it would lead to...

"What? You can't blame me for wanting your happiness!"

"Very true indeed," Devon said, not sure if the confusion was a good idea or not.

Michel smiled somehow shyly and looked at Bonnie again, who shot him a "we'll talk later" glance.

The rest of the breakfast went smoothly as they remained silent most of the time. But once they were finished and the kitchen was neat again, Bonnie requested Michel to go outside.

"What are you thinking, Michel?" she asked her workmate when they were alone. "Why are you lying to her like this?"

"Bonnie," Michel tried to make her reason, "think of what she said: she and your father were worried because they think you're alone..."

"But I'm not!"

"Of course you are not as you have us. But, Bonnie, for her you're still their little girl, and when your father died, she realized they won't be around forever to look after you! She wants someone to take that place. Only that she thinks it's me..."

Bonnie laughed sarcastically. "Yeah..."

It hurt Michel a little and in other situation, he would have asked her why she didn't trust him. But knowing she was dealing with so much, he chose not to argue. "Is it that bad? Does it bother you so much the idea that someone thinks we are dating?"

Bonnie looked at him and realised she had overreacted. Of course it wouldn't bother her, he was handsome and many women would love to be in that "confusion", plus she couldn't deny he always took care of her... "No, of course not... I... I'm only worried about how I'm going to tell her she's wrong..."

"Why you just don't tell her?" Michel suggested and got another surprised look. "Let her believe you're ok, give her some time to adjust to the situation of her being alone without any more worries... then you can simply tell her we broke up..."

"Michel..." Bonnie tried to argue, but the more she thought of, the most she believed it wasn't such a crazy idea.

"How much can it hurt, huh?" he replied challenging her the way he used to. "I promise I'll be a good boyfriend". He licked lightly at his right hand and left it to make his vow.

She shook her head slowly, knowing she had lost. "Do not try to overstep, huh? Or I'll make you regret it the rest of your life!"

Michel knew it was his cue to laugh openly. She trusted him completely, she knew he would never hurt her and he would do anything to protect her. "You will never regret this! I'm not that bad!" he pulled her into a tight hug.

Somehow she relaxed easily in his arms. It wasn't such a strange thing that he hugged her, but in a way these days she appreciated more the friendly contact. When he seemed to undo the embrace, she tightened her hold a bit more to make it last. "I'm so blessed I have you and Devon..."

"Always, baby... Always..." he replied kissing the top of her head.

**

"Michel?" Kitt interrupted his partner when he and Devon were waiting already for Iris and Bonnie to climb down the stairs to go to the funeral.

"Yeah, partner?"

"You better check through the window now..." the car suggested and Michel did as he was told. He carefully put aside the curtain to see the blue sedan parked at the far corner. "Come pick me up behind the house..."

Slowly, trying to look as casual as possible, Kitt darkened the windows, started on the machine and drove to the other side of the house. Michel climbed up and then drove to the other side again, trying to catch the man from behind.

He, meanwhile, thinking Michel was gone, had moved the car to the very front of the house and climbed down just when Michel turned around the corner. Peter Bellows turned immediately at the sound of squeaking tires. Michel climbed down when Kitt hasn't stopped yet but he was stopped by Bellows: he pointed straight to him and shot. "Michel, be careful!" Kitt shouted and Michel was barely able to evade the bullet.

"Damn it!" Peter mumbled and climbed up his car again. But right when Michel did the same, Debbie appeared in the door of the next house and cried. "Debbie, down!" Michel shouted and all but ran to try to cover the woman. He tackled her down and they saw how the bullet blew the window glass into a thousand pieces.

Devon, Iris and Bonnie left the house too and saw Michel checking if the woman wasn't injured. "I'm ok..." Debbie replied visibly shocked. "What happened?"

"That was Peter Bellows..." Michel said looking at Devon, Bonnie and Iris. "We now know for sure what he's coming for..."

Bonnie inhaled deeply and turned to look at her mother. A feeling of pure terror invaded her. "Why me?" Iris said, pale as a candle.

"It won't be you, Iris, don't worry!" Michel said holding firmly the woman's hand. "I'm here to protect you and I won't allow anything bad to happen to you... or Bonnie! That man will have to pass over my dead body to harm you two at all, and that's a promise! Now, we'll be going back to the house and get ready for the funeral. When we're back, we will figure out what we'll do, ok?"

He was looking straight to Iris' eyes and never even blinking. She could see such a fierce conviction that she didn't have the slightest doubt he was telling the truth. "O-ok..."

"Good, now let's go..." he said circling the woman's shaking shoulders and guiding her to the house.

**

"Keep all your scanners alert, buddy, will you?" Michel asked Kitt when he was helping Bonnie to climb down once they had arrived to the graveyard. Following their early "agreement", he had taken her hand and leaded her to Kitt to do the trip with the rest of the cars.

"No need to ask, Michel..." the car replied.

After the prior events, it wasn't strange for Devon when Michel stood right behind Bonnie and Iris, who of course were in the first line. All his senses were in alert, looking around trying to see anything strange, but at the same time he could see how Bonnie's feelings betrayed her and her tears started to cross her cheeks. When the pastor told she and Iris to take a handful of dirt and spread it over the box, she just couldn't handle it more and she broke in pieces. "Shh, sweetheart, it's ok..." Michel said pulling her into a hug.

Little by little Iris and Bonnie's crying subsided and that allowed the pastor to finish the service. When people started to walk out of the place where Ernest Barstow would be buried, both Devon and Michel walked by the sides of the two women. As long as everything has gone fine, Michel still had the feeling Peter was chasing them. When all the attendants arrived to the cars, Kitt's voice confirmed what he feared. "Michel, to your left!"

He only had the time to turn briefly and saw a man with a riffle hiding behind some bushes. When he heard the noise of the bullet, he didn't think but on cover Bonnie and Iris, who was by his side. The three ended up in the ground, but Michel's reflexes weren't as fast and he realized Iris was hurt when she cried in pain.

"She's bleeding!" Bonnie shouted but he was already examining her. "The bullet barely touched her, thanks God..." he said taking the handkerchief Devon offered him to cover Iris' shoulder. "It's not serious, but let's take her to the hospital!" he said taking her in his arms and placing her on Kitt passenger's seat.

"Any news on Bellows, pal?" he asked for the record, his only priority at the moment being Bonnie's mom.

"He left my scanner area, Michel, I'm sorry..."

***


End file.
